Your eyes are probably full of bacteria – but don't worry, it's good news

Our bodies are chock-full of microbes. But don't worry – many of these are the good guys. We've talked a lot recently about the gut microbiome which (if healthy) can protect you from a range of diseases. And now a new study suggests our eyes could be full of microbes too.

It was previously believed that the eye was pretty sterile and not home to bacteria. But scientists from the National Eye Institute (NEI) in America swabbed the eyelids of mice and discovered the presence of a whole load of bacteria, including a type called Corynebacterium masitidis (C.mast).

C.mast looks like it's doing you a big favour – it was shown to elicit an immune response that prevents certain eye infections.

But as the scientists only experimented on mice – can we be sure the research translate to humans? The researchers believe so.

"There is no reason why this would be unique to mice. The physiology of the ocular surface is similar; it is very likely that what we find in mouse eyes also applies to the human eyes," study author Rachel Caspi, a senior investigator in the NEI's laboratory of immunology told Time.

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It could make doctors think twice about prescribing antibiotics for eye infections that rarely require them, because they will kill off the good bacteria that might be protecting the eye from future nasties. Maybe one day, we'll be treating bad bacteria with good ones (probiotics) instead of using conventional medication.

"We need to be careful with how we use antibiotics, because the penalty is that we eliminate the good bacteria. In the future, probiotic therapies could be developed for the eye to make less the use of antibiotics," concluded Dr Caspi.

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